Busy May at Transcona Museum

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 30/4/2013 (1569 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Erin McIntyre is finishing her tenure as the Transcona Historical Museum’s acting curator with a busy May.

McIntyre, who took over the position while Alanna Horejda has been away on maternity leave, will guide the museum’s contribution to Jane’s Walk events on May 4. The Regent Avenue walk will begin at 2 p.m., and will give participants the opportunity to compare and contrast the strip throughout history.

"Some of the highlights will include the (Transcona) Shops, and we’ll take a stroll to Memorial Park Circle," she said. "As we walk down Regent, we bring archival photographs from our collection that show what it used to look like.

"It’s a walking tour that takes you back in time, too."

McIntyre said the tour takes about an hour, but there is some wiggle room depending on how many questions there are from those on the tour.

McIntyre said the tour is similar to the Thursday afternoon tours offered by the museum during the summer, so those who are not able to attend the Jane’s Walk will be able to check it out.

"The walking tours in the summer are expecting the crowd to be a little bit more from Transcona," she said. "This crowd (for Jane’s Walk), there certainly will be Transconians. Last year, we had 25 or 26 people, and they were from all over the city, because Jane’s Walk is an international event.

"You get people who spend the whole weekend going on separate walks."

McIntyre said the walk can accommodate as many people as are interested.

"I have a big voice — come on down," she said.

The walk helps mark the coming of the summer season for the museum.

The museum will hold a Manitoba Day celebration on May 11 from 1 to 4 p.m., complete with a birthday cake to mark the province’s 143rd spin around the sun. There will be crafts for kids and the opportunity to check out the museum’s butterfly collection.

On May 17 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the museum is marking International Museums Day, complete with McIntyre bringing down some of her favourite artifacts to show off and let visitors handle.

"We’ll talk about what we collect and why we collect it," said McIntyre, noting she’ll bring down some of the museum’s taxidermy and bug collections.

As well, the museum will participate in Doors Open on May 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., as McIntyre will offer guided tours of the storage room.

"You can see what we have in storage, and how we store things," she said, adding the storage room was once a living space for a manager of the bank which used to occupy the space. "It’s a sneak peek of both the building, and the architecture of the upstairs, as well as what we keep in those rooms."

The storage room is not wheelchair-accessible, though McIntyre said she can bring down some artifacts for those who can’t make it upstairs.

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